French-Language Training for the Workforce: A Review of French-Language Training Programs for the Workforce in Québec

This report notes that English-speaking Quebecers make up Quebec’s official language minority community and represent the largest linguistic minority within a Canadian province. They account for 13.8 percent of Quebec’s population and 14.3 percent of the labour force. The report points out that despite representing a sizable portion of the labour force, many English-speaking Quebecers face challenges in the labour market. According to the 2016 Census, English speakers have an unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, which is 2 percent higher than the unemployment rate of French speakers (6.9 percent). In most regions of Quebec, English speakers experience higher unemployment rates and lower after-tax median incomes than French speakers (adapted from Statistics Canada, 2016). The report further points out that while English-French bilingualism has steadily increased among English speakers over the past four decades, French language proficiency remains a barrier when it comes to meaningfully integrating into Quebec’s French-language labour market. This is the case for a broad range of English speakers, including Quebec-born residents and migrants from the rest of Canada. This report examines the status of French-language workforce programs (FLWPs) in Quebec. FLWPs consist of language learning that is specifically designed to increase the integration of workers into the labour market by focusing on the vocabulary and language skills they need to improve their employability. The report outlines an inventory of FLWPs that are available to French-language learners and identifies the key needs, gaps and areas for improvement.

Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT)

[Report]

2022

en